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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bank — for money
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. shower — rain
  8. bank — of a river
  9. press — to push
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bank — for money
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — to shout

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com